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“I just want a chance…”
“At what?” she whispered.
“Forever,” he breathed, not holding back as he stared into her beautiful eyes, realizing his words were probably completely stupid on so many levels. He saw her lips part as her eyes widened and felt his chest tighten at that simple, honest, raw silent expression of bewilderment and surprise.
“Dakota’s…” she mumbled and looked away.
“North or South?” he asked, completely befuddled – and couldn’t help the smile as she chuckled softly. Yeah, he liked making her laugh a whole lot more than making her angry.
“It’s a steakhouse in Tyler,” she began and looked at him shyly. “Six?”
“Six is fantastic,” he grinned, feeling so much avid relief hit him at once that his knees almost gave out. “Want me to pick you up here?”
“I need to change.”
“You look incredibly hot right now…”
“I can change my mind too,” she chuckled again, and he nearly fist-pumped the air, realizing he’d made her laugh several times. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” and wrote a phone number on the back of a business card, handing it to him.
“That’s my cell number.”
His eyes shot up to hers in shock and awareness.
“Don’t make me regret this.”
“I promise I won’t – because I don’t want you to regret this either. I’ll be on my best behavior, and you won’t know what hit you.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “Go. I need to finish this case before I can leave.”
“Off like a prom dress!” he exclaimed, already halfway out the door – and paused mid-step, pivoting around and looking at her. “That’s on the Bro-Code document, too.”
“I figured…” she replied – and was smiling, pointing at the door. “Bye, Max.”
CHAPTER 4
ELANA
Tuesday was anything but typical… that’s for sure. The one-sided conversation that she’d just been a part of from Max Carpenter was not on her radar – at all.
She'd been neck-deep looking up bylaws and statutes for her next case because her paralegal had called in sick again… getting up to get another cup of coffee. She had seen the handsome man standing there with roses and briefly thought, ‘lucky girl,’ only to realize that the man in uniform was the same one who’d handcuffed himself to her last night in the freezer aisle.
Max.
She was shocked that he was turning down the pretty receptionist’s advances, referring to himself as an idiot and coming to apologize… to Elana. It was three mental ‘hits’ that shocked her into giving him a moment to talk – that and she wanted to know what he would say.
He hit all the key things to win her over.
Explanations, apologies, being sincere and open regarding his thoughts, along with making her laugh. It felt good to laugh and honestly, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d done so. She had been so focused on being on task, that it felt wonderful to let that bubble of unexpected joy escape, and it made her realize how it was absent from her life.
Hours later, she was still thinking about it and replaying it in her mind, only to hear her phone ping.
Needy man text incoming…
What’s your home address?
Please tell me you haven't changed your mind.
She dialed his phone back, and he picked up on the first ring, speaking right away.
